This invention relates to the field of grommets, and more particularly to a cable grommet having a ball and socket joint.
Grommets are used to support and guide an elongated member through a hole in a panel. The elongated member can be a hose, an electrical cable or wire, a mechanical push-pull cable, a rigid rod, a fiber-optic cable, or any elongated object. The elongated member can be clamped firmly in place, or allowed to slide through the grommet. The ball can be clamped to maintain a fixed angle of penetration of the elongated member through the panel. Alternatively, the ball can be allowed to rotate within the socket, so that as the cable flexes, the ball will rotate to follow the changing angle of penetration. This is the case in some marine steering systems, where a cable angle will change to follow an outboard motor turning. It occurs also in shifting cables attached to a bell crank on a transmission housing.
Another consideration is to allow installation of the grommet over a cable that is already installed in the panel, without having to disconnect either end of the cable.
A further consideration is that the cable grommet for marine use should be water resistant. Rain and splashing water from a following sea should not penetrate the panel.
Cable grommets having a ball and socket mounting are known, and have taken a variety of configurations in the past. Some examples are shown in the following patents:
Stillinger, U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,835; shows a ball compression grommet for mounting a wire, cable, hose, or similar elongated member through a wall or panel. A spherical ball is formed in two hemispherical halves. A passage is formed through the center to accommodate the cable. The ball is held by a socket assembly comprising an outer nut with a spheroidal bore and internal threads. A threaded sleeve has a spheroidal bore, and is threaded into the outer nut, holding the ball. An inner nut attaches the assembly to the panel. As the nuts are tightened, they will clamp the ball tightly, preventing the ball from rotating to follow the angle of the elongated member. Both nuts and the sleeve must be installed from the free end of the cable. They cannot be installed without disconnecting one end of the cable.
Maglica, U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,321; depicts a slotted spherical ball clamped between split hemispherical socket members. The socket is split to install over the ball. The ball cannot be separated, and must be installed slidingly from the end of the elongated member. However, the socket is not split perpendicular to the elongated member. It is not designed to be mounted on a panel, with one half inside and one half outside the panel. The socket of Maglica 321 could not be assembled to either side of a panel, and assembled on the cable simultaneously. Furthermore, the screw fastener that clamps Maglica 321 to a tube also clamps the socket around the ball. The ball is not free to rotate to follow the changing angle of the elongated member. The assembly is not water resistant.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a cable grommet having a ball and socket joint that can be assembled to either side of a panel, and assembled on the cable simultaneously, without disconnecting one end of the cable.
There is a further need to provide a cable grommet having a ball and socket joint of the type described and that can be installed securely on the panel, will grip the cable securely, and yet will allow the ball to rotate freely to follow the changing angle of penetration of the cable through the panel.
There is a yet further need to provide a cable grommet having a ball and socket joint of the type described and that is ruggedly constructed for long service life.
There is a still further need to provide a cable grommet having a ball and socket joint of the type described and that can be installed by unskilled personnel with simple hand tools.
There is another need to provide a cable grommet having a ball and socket joint of the type described and that can be manufactured cost-effectively in large quantities of high quality.